Abstract
The study - after characterizing what is a definite and an indefinite article - surveys the distribution and the nature of the phenomena of the article in the Slavic languages, especially in those which have been in close contact with German. The survey compares the situation in Czech, where excessive use of demonstrative pronouns was observed (especially the pronoun ten "this") in contexts typical for the use of the definite article in German.
The study suggests that the influence of German upon the formation and consolidation of the article-like pronouns in Czech is highly probable. However, its functions still differ, so that the grammaticalization of the phenomena is not possible to such an extent as in German.
The study also presents an overview of secondary sources dealing with the topic.